The Toffees made the Spaniard their top target after missing out on Twente midfielder Leroy Fer due to a problem with the player's medical.

Moyes' side were willing to spend 10.4 million euros on Negredo on the final day of the transfer window but the forward's club were holding out for a higher fee.

"We wanted to add players if we could who could go into the team and we tried to do that right up to the end, but for reasons out of our control it didn't happen. It wasn't for the want of trying, that is for sure," the Everton boss told reporters. "We tried [for Negredo], but it didn't work. They wanted a lot more money than we offered."

Meanwhile, Moyes also revealed his concerns with the Goodison Park pitch ahead of Saturday's match against Aston Villa.

"I've not even spoken to the groundsman. The groundsman's not said anything about it," he said. "But it's not as if we've played loads of games at Goodison this year. It's not as if we've had loads of cup ties or lots of reserve games on it, so it's not had an awful lot of football played on it."